Electric marking machine



Oct. 2 1951 c, M, ELSTAD 2,569,807

ELECTRIC MARKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

04 "M. a/sxaa BY m 42 1% Patented Oct. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My present invention relates to an electric marking device for producing register marks on the edge portions of a stack of pieces of material as indicated on a pattern according to which the material for dresses, shirts, and other articles has been cut, by burning small shallow notches therein in place of the obsolete practice of cutting said notches.

The present invention is in the nature of improvements on the electric marking device fully described and broadly claimed in my United States Letters Patent No. 2,452,738.

An object of this invention is to provide an automatic guard for the marking element of the electric marking device Another object of this invention is to provide a novel base for an electric marking device that may be inserted under a stack of cut pieces of material without perceptibly distorting the stack.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electric marking device having means for controlling the degree of heat to which the marking element is heated to accommodate the same todifferent kinds of material.

7 Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description; reference being had to the drawings.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combination of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the improved electrical marking device, also showing fragmentarily, a stack of cut pieces of material to be marked by the device;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view partly in elevation and partly in section, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view partly in plan and partly in section, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view partly in plan and partly in section, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a view principally in section, taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary detail view with some parts sectioned on the line l'! of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail view principally in section, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a detail view principally in section. taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1, with a portion of the marking element broken away;

Fig. 10 shows a fragment of the upper end portion of the guard operating spring, and Fig. .11 is a wiring diagram.

The numeral l2 indicates, a thin metal base the front end portion of which is rounded and drawn to a wide bevel 13 having a relatively sharp edge to facilitate the insertion of this portion of the base l2 under a stack of cut pieces of material X without perceptibly distorting the same. An upstanding tubular handle [4 is rigidly secured, at its lower end, to the base 12 on which it rests at the back and transverse center thereof. This handle I 4 is spirally wrapped with a large cord 15 to give the same a good gripping surface.

A horizontal support 16, in the form of a channel bar, rests at its rear end portion on the handle I4, is rigidly secured thereto, and projects forwardly therefrom over the base 12. Mounted on the support it, directly over the handle 14, is a housing I! having connected back and side members 18, the latter overlapping the flanges of the support it and an insulating top memher [9. The side members 18 are detachably secured to the flanges of the support 16 and the top member I9 is detachably secured to said side members 58 by screws [8a.

The top IQ, of the housing [1, is an insulating member detachably secured to the housing side members [8 by screws l8a- A pair of upright primary contact prongs 20 and 2| are provided for a plug attached to an electric cord, not shown.

A transformer 22 is mounted on the support l6 forwardly of the housing 11. Primary wires 23 and 24 lead to the contact prongs 20 and 2!, respectively, from within the housingll to the transformer 22, as shown in Fig. 11. The sides of the transformer 22 are displaceable cover plates 25. A switch 26 is interposed in the primary wire 23 and is movable into and, out of engagement with a switch contact 23 on the section of the primary wire 23 connected to the transformer 22. A resistor 27 is attached to the section of the primary wire 23 having the switch contact 23 and to a contact 21'. The switch 26 includes an operating member 26' that. extends outwardly through one of the side members l8, for marking by scorching a stack of material, of the housing H.

An upright fiat marking element 28 is positioned flatwise in the longitudinal vertical plane of the device. This marking element 28, at its upper end portion extends through a large aperture 29 in the bottom members of the support l6, and a slot 30 in an insulating member 3|, that rests on the bottom of said support and is secured thereto. A terminal 32 in the form of a clamp, is attached to the marking element 28 above the insulating member 3|. A pair of secondary wires 33 ande34 lead from the transformer 22, the former t0.the terminal 32 and the latter to a ground 35, see Fig. 11. The terminal 32 rests on a short coiled spring 36 encircling the marking element 28 and rests on the insulating member 3|. The purpose of the spring 36 is to permit longitudinal expansion and contraction of the marking element 28, see Fig. 9.

An open bottom housing 31 for the upper end portion of the marking element 28, the insulating member 3|, the terminal 32 and the spring 36, overlies the support I6 forwardly of the transformer 22 with its side member overlapping the flanges ofsaid support and secured thereto by screws 38.

The marking element 28, has on its lower end, an extension 39 that extends inwardly and upwardly and into a slot 48 in the face of a block 4| secured to the base |2 on which it rests. This extension 39 at its outer end, engages the block 4| as a stop to afford a base of resistance for the marking element 28 when it is pressed against the material X to mark the same. A set-screw 42 having threaded engagement with the block 4| impinges the marking element ex tension 39 and rigidly holds the marking element 28 at its lower end, see Fig. 4. The lower end of the marking element and the connected portion of its extension, project into a groove 43 in the base |2 at its beveled edge portion l3.

The secondary wires 33 and 34 extend into the housing 31 through an aperture 31' in one of its side members, see Fig. 6. It is well known that the marking element 28 will not heat evenly to its extreme lower end portion and hence the same is provided with the extension 39. It will be understood that when the switch 26 is on the contact 23 the marking element 28 will be heated to a relatively low degree of temperature due to the passing of the current through the resistor 21, and when the said switch 26 is on the contact 23 a higher degree of temperature is to be had in the marking element 28 to accommodate the device to various kinds of material.

An automatic guard 44 is provided for the marking element 28 and extends substantially the full length thereof. This guard 44 is in the form of a channel that is substantially semicircular in cross-section. Said guard 44 is positioned in back of the marking element 28 and its side members extend one on each side of said marking element. The guard 44 is carried by a long upright leaf spring 45 intermediately secured to the longitudinal center of said guard, as indicated at 46. The arms 41 of the spring 45 are outwardly inclined and the lower arm 41 rests on the block 4| and is secured thereto by screws 48.

The upper end portion of the upper arm 41 is reduced in width as indicated at 49, see Fig. 10, and is loosely inserted in an insulating keeper ring 58 secured in an aperture in a forwardly projecting heat deflecting plate This deflecting plate 5| extends under the support l6 above the guard 44 and is secured to said support by a pair of screws 52 that extend through holes in the bottom of the support It and are provided with pairs of opposing nuts 53 between which the deflecting plate 5| is clamped. The marking element 28 extends through a relativel large aperture 54 in the heat deflecting plate 5| and is out of contact with said plate. The purpose of the heat deflecting plate 5| is to protect the secondary wires 33 and 34 and other parts in the housing 31 from radiated heat from the marking element 28.

In marking the material X, the device is moved with a sliding motion toward said material and the engagement of the longitudinal edges of the guard 44 with said material will force said guard 44 rearwardly against the tension of the spring 45 and thus permit the heated marking element 28 to be pressed against the material X and mark the same by burning. When the device is moved away from the material X the spring 45 will automatically return the guard 44 to its normal position in which the side members of said guard project forwardly of the marking element 28 and thus prevent the operators hand or any other object from being burned by the marking element 28.

The drawings illustrate a commercial form of the invention but it will be understood that the same is capable of certain modifications as to details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts within the scope of the invention herein disclosed.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a base, a support overlying the base, an upright marking element, a guard in the form of a channel encasing the marking element, a leaf spring intermediately secured to the intermediate portion of the guard, the end portions of the spring being outwardly inclined, said spring at its lower end being anchored to the base, and insulating means on the support holding the upper end portion with freedom of endwise movement, said spring normally holding the guard with its side members projecting forwardly of the marking element.

2. In a device of the class described, a base, a support overlying the base, an upright marking element anchored at its lower end to the base, the upper end portion of the marking element extending through an aperture in the support, insulating means guiding the upper end portion on the marking element, a guard in the form of a channel encasing the marking element, means including electric wires attached to the upper end of the marking element for heating the same, a heat deflecting plate extending under the sup port and attached thereto, said marking element extending through an aperture in the heat defleeting plate and a leaf spring intermediately secured to the intermediate portion of the guard, the end portions of the spring being outwardly inclined, said spring at its lower end be ing anchored to the base, the upper end portion of the spring extending loosely through an aperture in the heat deflecting plate and insulated therefrom.

3. In a device of the class described, a long upright marking element, means for heating the marking element, a guard for the marking element in the form of an upright channel back of said marking element with its side members extending, one on each side thereof, said guard extending substantially the full length of the marking element, normally the side members or the guard extending forwardly of the marking element, a long upright leaf spring intermediately secured to the guard at the back thereof, said spring at its lower end portion being fixed and 5 supporting the guard for movement in the plane of the marking element, and a fixed insulating member having an aperture into which the upper end portion of the spring loosely extends, the

end portions of the spring being rearwardly in- 10 olined from the guard.

CLAYTON MORRIS ELSTAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,478,319 Young 1 Dec. 18, 1923 1,943,100 Walter Jan. 9, 1934 2,196,151 Johnson e Apr. 2, 1940 2,231,766 Leibowitz 11 Feb. 11, 1941 2,352,010 Robbins Jan. 20, 1944 2,434,025 Wallace i -1 Jan. 6, 1948 2,452,738 Elstad i Nov. 2, 1948 2,494,824 Martin Jan. 17, 1950 

